OK so more about the Miyazaki/Ghibli Heroines that's interesting and possibly relevant:

THE FEMINISM OF HAYAO MIYAZAKI AND SPIRITED AWAYMiyazaki's ladies in general demonstrate more strength and complex personalities than American heroines (especially princesses) tend to. Characters Princess Mononoke and Nausicaa both actively fight to defend their homes, using both weapons and kindness. Sophie of Howl's Moving Castle is less physically active than those two warriors—particularly compared to her boyfriend Howl—but is stronger than him in many ways and at saves his life at one point in the film. I'll add that their romance, as with all Miyazaki's romances, doesn't totally dominate the picture. That's a refreshing change from the love-obsessed fare of America's female-centric narratives.

Great Geek Debates: Disney Princesses vs. Hayao MiyazakiSexual attraction certainly plays a part, but it is only one component of relationships between men and women. More often than not, the relationships between romantic leads are created by forces other than just physical attraction, and friendship is always a component behind the relationships.

Miyazaki’s HeroinesMost Miyazaki heroines are classical shojo in their age, cuteness, love of animals and pets, and sexual innocence. However, as Susan Napier argues, they are also endowed with the characteristics of the conventional masculine hero: they are active, assertive, adventurous and courageous. Some – notably Nausicaä and San – are crusading heroines, fighting the evils of environmental destruction, capitalism and militarism, supporting the victims of aggression and confronting the perpetrators.

Rey has spent her life in survival mode, way down at the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The theory is that a person cannot deal with issues pertaining to higher levels of that hierarchy while he is stuck on a lower level. So someone fighting for food won't have the time/energy/or likely desire to contemplate phenomenology. I think we can assume that Rey has moved up the hierarchy and now has a more reliable source of food, companionship, a greater sense of safety. That will open the door for her to start dealing with issues of abandonment and such.

I hope they go there, and I hope they make it gritty and real. Daisy's a good actress; she's got this.

@Slade wrote:Rey has spent her life in survival mode, way down at the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The theory is that a person cannot deal with issues pertaining to higher levels of that hierarchy while he is stuck on a lower level. So someone fighting for food won't have the time/energy/or likely desire to contemplate phenomenology. I think we can assume that Rey has moved up the hierarchy and now has a more reliable source of food, companionship, a greater sense of safety. That will open the door for her to start dealing with issues of abandonment and such.

I hope they go there, and I hope they make it gritty and real. Daisy's a good actress; she's got this.

I don't know if they're going to deal with Rey's abandonment issues when we still know nothing about who her parents are/were, if they're dead or alive, why they left her on Jakku etc. If there's no clear picture, there's no real idea of how Rey should feel about it. Like, if they abandoned her because they didn't want her it's one thing, if they left her to keep her safe and then never returned because they were killed, that's another.

I wonder how Rey's origins mystery will progress if she's going to be stuck on the Love Island for most of the movie, actually.

TUMBLR wrote: ❝THERE WERE A COUPLE OF TIMES I LOOKED AT ADAM LIKE, ‘EEEEEE!’ AND THEN OBVIOUSLY IT WAS NICE BECAUSE I WAS LAUGHING AT BITS. I THINK I’D MUCH PREFER TO WATCH IT TOGETHER BECAUSE YOU GET A SENSE OF HOW OTHER PEOPLE ARE FEELING AS WELL, AND THAT’S EXCITING. BUT WE ALL WENT DOWNSTAIRS AND WE DIDN’T REALLY TALK ABOUT IT. WE SAT AROUND AND I HAD SOME PIE BECAUSE IT WAS THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING AND PRETENDED LIKE WE HADN’T JUST SEEN IT.❞

—Daisy Ridley on the experience of watching The Force Awakens for the first time with Adam Driver and Carrie Fisher

Ooohh. Was this a bit of a slip up? Since they know where the story is going, it looks like the scenes they shared got Daisy excited (we know which ones in particular ). Reminds me of when she slipped up during the SW Q&A with "finding the Force" with Adam. Or is she slowly starting to point in the obvious direction like John Boyega did with his Variety interview?

TUMBLR wrote: ❝THERE WERE A COUPLE OF TIMES I LOOKED AT ADAM LIKE, ‘EEEEEE!’ AND THEN OBVIOUSLY IT WAS NICE BECAUSE I WAS LAUGHING AT BITS. I THINK I’D MUCH PREFER TO WATCH IT TOGETHER BECAUSE YOU GET A SENSE OF HOW OTHER PEOPLE ARE FEELING AS WELL, AND THAT’S EXCITING. BUT WE ALL WENT DOWNSTAIRS AND WE DIDN’T REALLY TALK ABOUT IT. WE SAT AROUND AND I HAD SOME PIE BECAUSE IT WAS THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING AND PRETENDED LIKE WE HADN’T JUST SEEN IT.❞

—Daisy Ridley on the experience of watching The Force Awakens for the first time with Adam Driver and Carrie Fisher

Daisy Ridley has gone from unknown British actress with a few credits to her name to the lead star of the third-highest grossing movie of all time and an inspiration to young girls around the world (and some not-so young women, to be honest). And since rising to fame, the actress has kept a very grounded and very real outlook on life. And now she's opening up about her health.In a lengthy Instagram post, Ridley opens up about struggling with endometriosis since she was a teen and discovering she has polycystic ovaries, all of which has cause a whole lot of acne, something not even the Force can help her with.

"At 15 I was diagnosed with endometriosis," she wrote. "One laparoscopy, many consultations and 8 years down the line, pain was back (more mild this time!) and my skin was THE WORST. I've tried everything: products, antibiotics, more products, more antibiotics) and all that did was left my body in a bit of a mess. Finally found out I have polycystic ovaries and that's why it's bad. I can safely say feeling so self conscious has left my confidence in tatters. I hate wearing make up but I currently don't want to leave the house without it on."

I had the same problem, acne has ruined my face but fortunately it's getting better now. I need to stay away from milk and cheese, just like her regarding the polycystic ovaries, doctors want me to take the birth pill but I don't want to. I already take pills for my allergies, how many hormones should I ingest? It's bad for my health.

Poor Daisy. I have PCOS, and it took forever (and multiple ob/gyn changes) to get diagnosed with it. It does wreck havoc with your fertility--making it both more difficult to conceive AND to carry a pregnancy (ask me how I know). I feel very lucky that we have our daughter...it wasn't an easy road to get there.

I'm really glad to see younger women starting to talk about this sort of thing. Raising awareness is a very good thing.

@Maria Antonietta wrote:I had the same problem, acne has ruined my face but fortunately it's getting better now. I need to stay away from milk and cheese, just like her regarding the polycystic ovaries, doctors want me to take the birth pill but I don't want to. I already take pills for my allergies, how many hormones should I ingest? It's bad for my health.

I have a lot of allergies, sinus issues and aches and pains and stomach things, and so I have had a lot of testing done, just like she says ... and I am allergic to everything seasonal, have some food allergies and have been suffering from a lot of inflammatory reactions due to bad diet and lots of antibiotic treatment. I have finally found a very good set of doctors, including a holistic doctor who is a real MD (Medical Doctor) at the same time. I have been told to go off dairy, wheat and anything that is not naturally sugary. I have lost a lot of weight and it really cuts down on a lot of sinus infectiosn and pain and stomach issues when I stay with it. (I have been bad lately because I went on vacation and there have been birthdays, and I am a huge fan of cake ... and soda). I am working on pulling myself back to it. It is very hard, but now I have a sense of what works. I too have been on a million antibiotics (like Daisy) for sinus infections and it has ruined my gut flora and thrown my system out of balance, so probiotics are a huge deal for me. (One of the best things is naturally fermented food. I don't know how much of this you have in your diet, but it can be great).

None of this is an answer to PCOS, but like Daisy says, I would pay for a number of specialists and tests (even if you have to credit card it) because I bet you anything that there are some underlining things that are wrong that might be exacerbating some of your problems. If those could be dealt with, you might not have to go on The Pill. I am lucky, my family has a great insurance plan. I know that you are in Europe, and I know sometimes you have to wait in a queue to qualify for tests under the government programs, but if there is a way to go private, I would do it. Hormone stuff doesn't just screw up your body. It screws you up mentally, making you depressed and anxious and tired.

The Pill might be the best answer, but I know that I and a lot of people of other people can't take the The Pill because it wreaks havoc with our hormones. Before you jump into that, it would be good if you could know your whole health picture. Also, I take the most amazing allergy pill ever. It's called "Xyzal" in the US. I don't think there are any hormones involved with it (no steroids involved). Maybe that will work for you?

@Maria Antonietta wrote:I had the same problem, acne has ruined my face but fortunately it's getting better now. I need to stay away from milk and cheese, just like her regarding the polycystic ovaries, doctors want me to take the birth pill but I don't want to. I already take pills for my allergies, how many hormones should I ingest? It's bad for my health.

I have a lot of allergies, sinus issues and aches and pains and stomach things, and so I have had a lot of testing done, just like she says ... and I am allergic to everything seasonal, have some food allergies and have been suffering from a lot of inflammatory reactions due to bad diet and lots of antibiotic treatment. I have finally found a very good set of doctors, including a holistic doctor who is a real MD (Medical Doctor) at the same time. I have been told to go off dairy, wheat and anything that is not naturally sugary. I have lost a lot of weight and it really cuts down on a lot of sinus infectiosn and pain and stomach issues when I stay with it. (I have been bad lately because I went on vacation and there have been birthdays, and I am a huge fan of cake ... and soda). I am working on pulling myself back to it. It is very hard, but now I have a sense of what works. I too have been on a million antibiotics (like Daisy) for sinus infections and it has ruined my gut flora and thrown my system out of balance, so probiotics are a huge deal for me. (One of the best things is naturally fermented food. I don't know how much of this you have in your diet, but it can be great).

None of this is an answer to PCOS, but like Daisy says, I would pay for a number of specialists and tests (even if you have to credit card it) because I bet you anything that there are some underlining things that are wrong that might be exacerbating some of your problems. If those could be dealt with, you might not have to go on The Pill. I am lucky, my family has a great insurance plan. I know that you are in Europe, and I know sometimes you have to wait in a queue to qualify for tests under the government programs, but if there is a way to go private, I would do it. Hormone stuff doesn't just screw up your body. It screws you up mentally, making you depressed and anxious and tired.

The Pill might be the best answer, but I know that I and a lot of people of other people can't take the The Pill because it wreaks havoc with our hormones. Before you jump into that, it would be good if you could know your whole health picture. Also, I take the most amazing allergy pill ever. It's called "Xyzal" in the US. I don't think there are any hormones involved with it (no steroids involved). Maybe that will work for you?

Woah, you have a lot of problems! Thank God I don't have food allergies, I just eat some cheese once in a while, or ice cream. My belly is fine I don't want to take the pill because it has lots of side effects. Last time I had sinusitis, I took a very strong kind of cortisone, man, I was bloated. I was literally a ball.

@Maria Antonietta wrote:I had the same problem, acne has ruined my face but fortunately it's getting better now. I need to stay away from milk and cheese, just like her regarding the polycystic ovaries, doctors want me to take the birth pill but I don't want to. I already take pills for my allergies, how many hormones should I ingest? It's bad for my health.

I have a lot of allergies, sinus issues and aches and pains and stomach things, and so I have had a lot of testing done, just like she says ... and I am allergic to everything seasonal, have some food allergies and have been suffering from a lot of inflammatory reactions due to bad diet and lots of antibiotic treatment. I have finally found a very good set of doctors, including a holistic doctor who is a real MD (Medical Doctor) at the same time. I have been told to go off dairy, wheat and anything that is not naturally sugary. I have lost a lot of weight and it really cuts down on a lot of sinus infectiosn and pain and stomach issues when I stay with it. (I have been bad lately because I went on vacation and there have been birthdays, and I am a huge fan of cake ... and soda). I am working on pulling myself back to it. It is very hard, but now I have a sense of what works. I too have been on a million antibiotics (like Daisy) for sinus infections and it has ruined my gut flora and thrown my system out of balance, so probiotics are a huge deal for me. (One of the best things is naturally fermented food. I don't know how much of this you have in your diet, but it can be great).

None of this is an answer to PCOS, but like Daisy says, I would pay for a number of specialists and tests (even if you have to credit card it) because I bet you anything that there are some underlining things that are wrong that might be exacerbating some of your problems. If those could be dealt with, you might not have to go on The Pill. I am lucky, my family has a great insurance plan. I know that you are in Europe, and I know sometimes you have to wait in a queue to qualify for tests under the government programs, but if there is a way to go private, I would do it. Hormone stuff doesn't just screw up your body. It screws you up mentally, making you depressed and anxious and tired.

The Pill might be the best answer, but I know that I and a lot of people of other people can't take the The Pill because it wreaks havoc with our hormones. Before you jump into that, it would be good if you could know your whole health picture. Also, I take the most amazing allergy pill ever. It's called "Xyzal" in the US. I don't think there are any hormones involved with it (no steroids involved). Maybe that will work for you?

Woah, you have a lot of problems! Thank God I don't have food allergies, I just eat some cheese once in a while, or ice cream. My belly is fine I don't want to take the pill because it has lots of side effects. Last time I had sinusitis, I took a very strong kind of cortisone, man, I was bloated. I was literally a ball.

Not all versions of "the pill" have side effects for everyone. Your experience might vary, but when I was on the pill, it was one of the newer "low dose" pills, and I didn't have any negative side effects. It did regulate my then-non-regular periods and clear up my acne. I can understand not wanting to take "another pill", but it's not necessarily a bad thing. For me, the benefits that I got from pill far outweighed anything negative.

@Maria Antonietta wrote:I had the same problem, acne has ruined my face but fortunately it's getting better now. I need to stay away from milk and cheese, just like her regarding the polycystic ovaries, doctors want me to take the birth pill but I don't want to. I already take pills for my allergies, how many hormones should I ingest? It's bad for my health.

I have a lot of allergies, sinus issues and aches and pains and stomach things, and so I have had a lot of testing done, just like she says ... and I am allergic to everything seasonal, have some food allergies and have been suffering from a lot of inflammatory reactions due to bad diet and lots of antibiotic treatment. I have finally found a very good set of doctors, including a holistic doctor who is a real MD (Medical Doctor) at the same time. I have been told to go off dairy, wheat and anything that is not naturally sugary. I have lost a lot of weight and it really cuts down on a lot of sinus infectiosn and pain and stomach issues when I stay with it. (I have been bad lately because I went on vacation and there have been birthdays, and I am a huge fan of cake ... and soda). I am working on pulling myself back to it. It is very hard, but now I have a sense of what works. I too have been on a million antibiotics (like Daisy) for sinus infections and it has ruined my gut flora and thrown my system out of balance, so probiotics are a huge deal for me. (One of the best things is naturally fermented food. I don't know how much of this you have in your diet, but it can be great).

None of this is an answer to PCOS, but like Daisy says, I would pay for a number of specialists and tests (even if you have to credit card it) because I bet you anything that there are some underlining things that are wrong that might be exacerbating some of your problems. If those could be dealt with, you might not have to go on The Pill. I am lucky, my family has a great insurance plan. I know that you are in Europe, and I know sometimes you have to wait in a queue to qualify for tests under the government programs, but if there is a way to go private, I would do it. Hormone stuff doesn't just screw up your body. It screws you up mentally, making you depressed and anxious and tired.

The Pill might be the best answer, but I know that I and a lot of people of other people can't take the The Pill because it wreaks havoc with our hormones. Before you jump into that, it would be good if you could know your whole health picture. Also, I take the most amazing allergy pill ever. It's called "Xyzal" in the US. I don't think there are any hormones involved with it (no steroids involved). Maybe that will work for you?

Woah, you have a lot of problems! Thank God I don't have food allergies, I just eat some cheese once in a while, or ice cream. My belly is fine I don't want to take the pill because it has lots of side effects. Last time I had sinusitis, I took a very strong kind of cortisone, man, I was bloated. I was literally a ball.

That's the thing. I don't really have any really "outstanding" food allergies either. But I just kept having all this little crap, the worst being severe sinus infections that never wanted to go away. I have actually been excluded from certain antibiotics now because I was given too many over the past decade. I eventually had major sinus surgery and that has helped a lot ... but I was still always very vulnerable to getting a few each year that required high level antibiotics (Levaquin). The problem is that I will need Levaquin if I get a serious infection one day, so I can't get immune to it. Also, antibiotic use screws up your gut flora and immune system, so the antibiotics actually made me more vulnerable to sinus infections in the long run. So I needed to find another way. That's why I found that holistic/alternative doctor who is also a real medical doctor. (You need them to know what they are doing in both, because in my experience total naturopaths can be extremely dismissive of any allopathic medicine, and closed-minded medical doctors can be equally dismissive of non-pharmaceutical remedies). And I'll tell you it's shocking what the change of food has done for me. I am not allergic to wheat or sugar at all. I have only a very minor allergy to dairy. But what all three have in common is that they can induce inflammatory reactions in the body. Sinus infections, tummy aches, aches and pains, allergies are all a kind of inflammatory reaction. When I changed my food *a lot* of those little BS things totally went away. Also, there are a lot of things like Vitamin D levels and thyroid and blood sugar levels (I have always tended towards hypoglycemia) that can throw your whole system out of whack. The point is you might be able to find something that will help alleviate some of the PCOS issues if you find a good doctor who is willing to investigate.

And oh yeah, and steroids are evil. They blow you up, make you want to eat everything and lower your immune system. They are necessary sometimes, but I always really make the doctor prove to me that I need them.

Not all versions of "the pill" have side effects for everyone. Your experience might vary, but when I was on the pill, it was one of the newer "low dose" pills, and I didn't have any negative side effects. It did regulate my then-non-regular periods and clear up my acne. I can understand not wanting to take "another pill", but it's not necessarily a bad thing. For me, the benefits that I got from pill far outweighed anything negative.

I never had to revisit "the pill" because I was able to use other methods, but I have heard that some are better than others. And I also don't want to give the impression with all my alternative doctor talk that I am against taking pills or against regular doctors. I'm not. Sometimes the herbs/vitamins/probiotics aren't even what they say they are. Sometimes a pharmaceutical company pill is a million times better. That's why I swear by stuff like the "Xyzal". No herb is going to work as well as that. But in my case, if the doctor is not an original thinker, they just run home to these "hammer" type methods like big-gun antibiotics ... and I was fine with that for years until I started getting immune to them and the doctors were just like, "Well we need to make it stronger." And I was like "I am not going to blow away whole classes of antibiotics on sinus infections." It's at times like this, when they don't try to think outside the box when you've come up against a wall, that I think that it is really worth moving on to someone else and doing some serious investigation.

I'm disgusted with the comments Daisy received on Instagram, and apparently still receives on Facebook, regarding the gun violence issue I can't believe people these days. What kind of a world do we live in anyway if it's a controversial opinion that innocent people shouldn't be shot?!

I hope Daisy only deactivated her Instagram account temporarily and comes back later. I hope she understands that the majority of her over 2 million followers aren't loud-mouthed loons. Her account was lovely to follow - positive and unpretentious.

I'm sure someone is monitoring the comments on her accounts (I hope she does not do it herself! because yikes, one could go crazy from all that) - they should just delete and block, block, block anyone who steps over the line. No second chances for the nasties.

yeha, people should get over themselves and most of all admit that Social Media are big fat failure. They are hotbed for all kinds of extremism (also see Tumblr anti who posted pictures of himself/herself target shooting Reylo art).

@vaderito wrote:yeha, people should get over themselves and most of all admit that Social Media are big fat failure. They are hotbed for all kinds of extremism (also see Tumblr anti who posted pictures of himself/herself target shooting Reylo art).